The two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have announced an electoral alliance for the upcoming civic polls in their stronghold of Pune district, marking a significant political realignment in Maharashtra that could pave the way for a rapprochement in the influential Pawar family.
This is the first coming together of the two rival units since the acrimonious split in 2023 when nephew Ajit Pawar broke away from the party founded by his uncle, Sharad Pawar, taking with him the majority of the NCP legislators.
The NCP(SP), headed by Sharad, is currently part of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Ajit, who heads the dominant faction of the NCP and is one of the two deputy chief ministers of Maharashtra, announced the alliance for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Rohit Pawar, an MLA from 84-year-old Sharad’s faction, made a similar announcement for the Pune Municipal Corporation.
The combined force of uncle and nephew will take on the BJP in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. While the BJP runs the Pune civic body, the NCP helms the Pimpri-Chinchwad corporation.
The cash-rich civic bodies in Pune district are scheduled to go to the polls on January 15 along with 27 other civic bodies across the state.
“For the sake of Pimpri-Chinchwad, the ghadyal (clock, the NCP’s election symbol) and the tutari (trumpet, the NCP(SP)’s poll symbol) have united. The parivar has come together, as many wanted,” Ajit said on Sunday evening.
The announcement for the Pune civic body came on Monday after hectic negotiations and an initial declaration of a breakdown in talks. Rohit, Sharad’s grandson, made the alliance public, stressing that the unity was limited to the civic polls and aimed at respecting the views of party workers. The two sides did not announce seat-sharing details.
“After listening to the views of party workers and understanding their concerns, it was decided that both NCP factions will contest the polls together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad,” Rohit told reporters.
“There is no talk of a merger of the two parties. This decision has been taken only for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and only after consulting local workers and securing their consent. Pawar Saheb was not involved in the decision-making process,” he added.
While the Pawar family’s show of unity has split the Opposition MVA — comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and the NCP(SP) — in Pune, strains within the ruling Mahayuti surfaced in Mumbai. The Ajit-led NCP decided to go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, disregarding the BJP’s advice to keep its controversial leader Nawab Malik out.
On Monday, the NCP nominated three members of Malik’s family as candidates for the BMC elections, a move widely seen as a snub to the BJP. The BJP had objected to Malik’s appointment as chairman of the NCP’s election management committee, citing cases against him related to property deals allegedly involving relatives and aides of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The BJP and the Shiv Sena have decided to contest the BMC polls in alliance, keeping the NCP — a key constituent of the Mahayuti— out of the tie-up.
The Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) are negotiating a tie-up after the NCP(SP) teamed up with the NCP.
“Don’t expect any significant political realignment based on alliances for civic elections. These are purely local developments and nothing unusual,” a BJP leader in Mumbai said.
Ajit’s remark that the “family has come together”, however, was viewed as a positive sign amid ongoing backroom efforts to reunite the clan. The alliance announcement followed a public appearance by the estranged uncle and nephew, who shared the stage with industrialist Gautam Adani at an event in their family stronghold of Baramati on Sunday.
“Efforts are underway to bring the family together and merge the two NCP factions. It could take time as leadership issues in the post-Sharad Pawar era need to be resolved. The key question is who will emerge as the party’s supreme leader — Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule or Ajit Pawar?” an NCP leader said.
